Oscillating propeller



Jan. 12, 1965 c. w. EAsTEP oscILLATING PROPELLER Filed sept. 25, 1962 lfrz 24 United States Patent 3,165,656 @SClLLA'lSlNS PRPELLER Calvin W.Eastep, 39 Cayuga St., Trumanshurg, Nfl. Filed Sept. 25, 1962, Ser. No.225,939 6 Claims. (1. 11S-28) This invention relates to a propeller ofthe fish-tail type adapted to be mounted at the rear of a boat andsculled back and forth.

An important object of the invention is to provide such a propellerwhich is highly eliicient in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a propeller which isadapted to heavy duty or light duty service and in either service isstrong and durable and will stand up to conditions of severe andconstant use without getting out of order or requiring repairs.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a propeller which isnot likely to be adversely affected by striking rocks or other obstaclesand which also is not likely to become fouled up with weeds or the likeand in fact is particularly adapted for service in weedy waters.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a propeller which ismade of a plurality of rigid metal body members articulated so that asthe propeller is oscillated back and forth, the row of rigid bodymembers curve in the manner of a sh tail.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a propeller composedof articulated rigid body members additionally having spring meanstending to maintain them in a common plane.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a propeller in whichthe spring means controlling the action of the articulated rigid bodymembers can be designed to produce any required curving movement of therow of body members when the propeller is oscillated back and forth.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a propeller employingone form of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof with its drive hub being shown insection.

FG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken generally online 3 4, FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken generally online 4 4, FfG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken generally online 5 5, FlG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 2 and showing, in dot-dashlines, the position of the rigid body members at the extremities of theoscillation of the propeller.

FIG. 7 is a view, partly in section, similar to FIG. 1, of a modifiedform of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section taken generally on the line 8 3, FIG. 7.

Referring to the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, thepropeller is shown as composed of a plurality of vertically elongatedrigid body members 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 which can be made of metalor any other rigid or non rigid material. The body member at the frontend of the propeller is provided with an upstanding drive hub 16 whichis shown as being formed integrally with this body member. This bodymember is also shown as being of vertical semicylindrical form at itsleading side, as indicated at 18, so as to provide minimum impedance intraveling and displacing the water t0 form a path through the water.This body member is also shown as being rounded at its top and bottom,as indicated at 19 and 2li, and its vertical sides 21 also preferablyconverge rearwardly.

.rigid body sections.

ICC

The rigid body sections 11, 12, and 13 are in trailing or tandemrelation to the front end body member 10 and to each other and are ofprogressively decreasing height and transverse thickness, the sides 22converging rearwardly and forming a planar continuation of theconverging sides 21 of the leading body member 1t). Each of the sections11, 12, and 13 also have rounding tops and bottoms 23 and Z4 forming acontinuation of the rounding top and bottom 19, 20 of the leading bodymember 10.

The body member 14 which trails the body member 13 also has rearwardlyconverging sides 25 forming a continuation of the converging sides 22 ofthe body members 11, 12, and 13 but the rounding top and bottom portions25, 28 diverge rearwardly away from each other.

The rear rigid body member 15 also has sides 29 which convergerearwardly and form continuations of the sides 25 of the body member 14and has top and bottom rounding portions 3@ and 31 diverging rearwardlyand forming a continuation of the rounding tops and bottoms 26, 28 ofthe rigid body member 14. The rear edge 32 of the body section 15 is inthe form of a relatively thin edge and can be of V-shaped form in sideelevation as shown.

The rear face 33 of each of the body sections 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 isin the form of a flat vertical face extending transversely of thepropeller. The leading face 34 of each of the sections 11, 12., 13, 14,and 15 is of angular form, these faces being in the form of an obtuseincluded angle merging in a vertical central single nose 35 which is inclosely spaced relation to the at rear face 33 of the preceding Vrigidbody member.

Each of the rigid body members are hinged together to swing about avertical axis, the hinge connections being substantially the same andhence a description of one hinge being deemed to apply to the otherhinges. The rear face 33 of each of the rigid body members 10, 11, 12,13, and 14 is provided with a semicylindrical central recess 4G, theaxis of which is vertical and this recess providing hinge knuckles 41and 42 at the top and bottom of each of these rigid body members. Eachof the sections 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 is provided with an integralforwardly projecting semicylindrical knuckle 43, the axis of which isvertical and which sets in the recess 40 of the preceding rigid bodymember as best shown in FIGS. 3-5. The knuckles 41, 42. of each rigidbody member Vare provided with alined threaded bores 44, 45 whichsupport the upper threaded ends 46 of pins or pintles 48. The pins orpintles extend into a vertical through bore 49 in each knuckle 43.

It will be seen that the hinge connection between the several rigid bodymembers provided by the knuckles 41, 4?., 43 and pintles 48 permit theseveral sections to move from a central position, in which they are in acommon plane, as indicated by full lines in FIG. 6, to a curved positionat the extremity of each oscillation of the irnlpeller about the axis ofits hub 16, as indicated by `the dot-dash lines in FIG. 6. It will alsobe observed from the dot-dash lines in FIG. 6 that the leading bodymember 1? can be oscillated about the vertical axis of its hub 16 atleast about from one side to the other. It will be further seen that theangular forward face 34 of each of the sections 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15form stop or limiting faces in determining the maximum curvature whichthe row of rigid body sections can attain, by virtue of their engagementwith the rear flat face 33 of the preceding It will therefore be seenthat the amount of curvature which the propeller can attain can beadjusted by varying the degree of angularity of the forward faces 35,and it will also been that the row of body sections can be caused toassume compound curvature at the end of the throw of the impeller,should this be desired.

, A feature of the invention resides in the provision of spring meansyieldingly returning the several rigid body sections lll, l1, l2, 13,ld, and l to a common plane as indicated by full lines in FIG. 6. Forthis purpose a flexible rod 5i), preferably of rubber or otherelastomer, extends horizontally through all of these sections andintersects the axis of each hinge connection. To accommodate theilexible rod Sil each of the body sections il, 12, 13, and Y14 isprovided with a fore-and-aft through bore 51 midway between the roundtops and bottoms and midway between the converging sides thereof. Theforward end of each of these bores 5l preferably is of enlarging bellshaped form, as indicated at 52, to accommodate the llexible rod 50 inservice. These bores 5l aline with a blind bore 53 in the leading rigidbody member l@ and with a blind bore 54 in the rearmost rigid bodymember l5, the ilexible rod 5i! projecting into these blind bores.

In FIGS. 7 and S is illustrated a modified form of the invention inwhich the successive vertical elongated rigi body memberstl, 6l, 62, 63,64, and 65 are shown as being made of hard rubber. The rigid body member66 at the forward end of the impeller is shown as having rounded top andbottom surfaces and as being generally of cylindrical form about avertical axis so as to provide a rounding rearwardly projecting salientsurface 66. In the forward rigid body member 6) is also molded a metalhub member 63 projecting upwardly therefrom and through which thepropeller is oscillated back and forth about a vertical axis. This hubmember preferably is provided with vertical tins 69 to strengthen theconnection between the hub and the front body member 6b.

Il `he second rigid body member 6l is also preferably of generallycylindrical form about a vertical axis so as to have salient front andrear portions 70 and 71. The next rigid body member 62 is ofcylindroidal form but is ovaled fore-and-aft to provide salient frontand rear faces 72, 73. The next vertically elongated rigid body member63 is also of fore-and-aft oval form to have front and rear salientfaces 74 and 75. The next vertically elongated rigid body member 64 isof keystoneshaped form with its sides converging toward its rearward endto provide salient front or rear surfaces 76, 78. The rearmost bodysection 65 is of wedge form in horizontal section this providing arounding forward surface 79 and trailing vertical edge Si) which can beV-shaped in side elevation as illustrated in PIG. 7.

The vertically elongated rigid body members dil-65 are bonded to oneanother by elastomer bodies 81, 82, 33, 34, and 85 which provide thedesired flexibility in the propeller so that the several rigid bodymembers can assume the curved relation at the extremity of eachoscillation as illustrated by dotted lines in FIG. 6, these elastomerbodies yieldingly returning the rigid body members to a common plane asillustrated by full lines in FIG. 6. These elastomer bodies are bondedto the opposing faces of the several rigid body members and completelylill the spaces therebetween. Since the opposing faces of the rigid bodymembers are all of cylindroidal form about a vertical axis, it will beseen that each of the elastomer bodies is of hour-glass form inhorizontal section to bond together large areas of the rigid bodymembers and also to provide larger amounts of tlexible rubber at thesides of the propeller. The elastomer body members and the rigid bodymembers are preferably made of rubber of different degrees of hardnessand produced in a single molding operation, the hub member 68 also beingmolded in position at the time.

From the foregoing it will be seen that both forms of the fish-tail likepropeller comprise a plurality of elongated rigid body members arrangedin a row in closely spaced, side byside, parallel relation to oneanother to form a paddle-like body outlined at two opposite edges by theends'of these body members and at the other two opposite edges by theendmost body members of the row,

spring means yieldingly connecting these body members together andyieldingly maintaining them in parallel relation in a common plane butpermitting them to be displaced laterally of said common plane and hubmeans for oscillating one of the endmost body members about a major axiswhereby the resistance of the medium in which the propeher is immersedcauses the row of parallel body members to curve as the row swingstransversely away from the common plane.

What is claimed is:

l, propeller comprising a plurality of elongated rigid body membersarranged in a row in closely spaced, side by side, parallel relation toone another to form a paddle-like body outlined at two opposite edges bythe ends of said body members and at two other opposite edges by theendmost body members ot said row, a hinge knuckle iixed to each bodymember mating with a hinge knuckle lixed to an adjacent body member, avertical pivot pin connecting each mating ot hinge knuckles together andconnecting the trailing end of each body member to the leading end ofeach succeeding body member, a transversely elastic rod extendingthrough bores in said body members transversely' of the axes of saidpivot pins and forming spring means yieldingly connecting said bodymembers together and yieldingly maintaining them in parallel relation ina common plane but permitting them to displaced laterally o l commonplane, said elastic rod being :Iran d generali,Y parallel with steldunmmon plane and intersec of said pivot pins, the

said axe-s leading side of the leading body member being of generallyvertical semicylindrical forms to minimize impedance in displacing themedium in which the propelle is irnmersed in forming a paththerethrough, and a vertical drive hub fixed to said leading body membergenerally concentric with its semicylindrical leading side and adaptedto oscllate said leading body member at least about 96 about the axisof, said drive hub, the resistance of said medium in which the propelleris immersed to such oscillation of said leading body member and of thesucceeding body members so connected thereto by said pivot pins causingsaid row of body members to form a curve as the row swings transversely'away from said common plane.

2, A propeller comprising a plurality of elongated rigid body membersarranged in a row in closely spaced, side- 1oy-side, parallel relationto one another to form a paddleike body outlined at two opposite edgesby the endmost body members of said row, vertical axis hinge meansconnecting the trailing end of each body to the leading end of tie nextsucceeding member, spring means yieldingly connecting said body memberstogether and yieldingly maintaining them in parallel relation in acornmon plane but permitting them to be displaced laterally of saidcommon plane, the leading side of the leading body member being ofgenerally vertical semicylindrical form to minimize impedance indisplacing the medium in which the propeller is immersed in forming apath therethrough, and an opstanding drive hub fixed to said leadingbody member generally concentric with its semicy'iindrical leading sideand adapted to oscillate said leading body member at least about 9Gsabout the axis of said drive hub, the resistance of said medium in whichthe propeller is immersed to such oscillation of said leading bodymember and the succeeding body members so connected thereto by saidvertical hinge means causing said row of body members to form a curve asthe row swings transversely away from said common plane, said hingemeans comprising a hinge knuckle fixed to each `body member mating witha hinge knuckle xed to an adjacent body member, a vertical pivot pinconnecting each mating pair of knuckles together, said spring meanscomprising a transversely elastic rod extending through a bore throughsaid knuckle of each body member, generally parallel with said commonplane, and intersecting said axes of said hinge means.

3. A propeller comprising a plurality of elongated rigid body membersarranged in closely spaced, side by side, parallel relation to oneanother in a common plane to form a paddlealike body outlined at twoopposite` edges by the ends of said body members and at two otheropposite edges by the endmost body members of said row, vertical hingemeans connecting the trailing end of each body member to the leading endof the next succeeding body member, the opposing faces of said bodymembers vbeing of cylindroidal form having their points of closestapproach in a common plane, elastomer bodies of hourglass form intransverse cross section interposed between and bonded to said opposingfaces of each pair of said body members and forming spring meansyieldingly connecting said body members together and yicldinglymaintaining-them in parallel relation in said common plane butpermitting them to be displaced laterally of said common plane, theleading side of the leading body member being of generally verticalsemicylindrical form to minimize impedance in displacing the medium inwhich the propeller is immersed informing a path therethrough, and avertical drive hub fixed to saidle'ading body mer 'oer generallyconcentric with its semicylindrical leading side and adapted tooscillate said leading body member at least 90 about the axis of saiddrive hub, the resistance of said medium in which the propeller isimmersed to such oscillation of said leading body member and of tiesucceeding body members so connected thereby said vertical hinge meanscausing said row of body members to form a curve as the row swingstransversely away from said common plane.

4. A propeller comprising a plurality of elongated rigid body membersarranged in a row closely spaced, side by side, parallel relation to oneanother to form a paddle-like body outlined at two opposite edges bythe. ends of said body members and at two other` opposite edges by theendm'ost body members of said row, a hinge knuckle fixed rto each bodymember mating with a hinge knuckle lixed to an adjacent body member, avertical pivot pin connecting each mating pair of hinge knuckle togetherand connecting the trailing end ot each body member to the leading endof each succeeding body member, a transversely elastic rod extendingthrough bores in said body `members transversely of the axes of saidpivot pins and forming spring means yieldingly connecting said bodymembers together and yieldingly maintaining them in parallel relation ina common plane but permitting them to be displaced laterally of saidcommon plane, said elastic rod being arranged generally parallel withsaid common plane and intersecting said axes of said pivot pins, andmeans arranged to oscillate the leading body member at least about 90about a vertical axis adjacent its leading edge, the resistance of saidmedium in which the propeller is immersed to such oscillation'of saidleading -body member and of the succeeding body members so connectedthereto by said pivot pins causing said row of body members to form acurve as the row swlngs transversely away from said common plane.

5. A propeller comprising a plurality of elongated rigid body membersarranged in closely spaced, side by side, parallel relation to oneanother in a common plane to form a paddle-like body outlined at twoopposite edges by the ends of said body members and at-two otheroppositeedges by the endmost body members or" said row, vertical hingemeans connecting the trailing end of each body member to the leading endof the next succeeding body member, the opposing faces of said bodymembers being of cylindroidal form having their points of closestapproach in a common plane, elastomer bodies of hourgiass form intransverse cross section interposed between and bondedA to the saidopposing faces of each pair of plane but permitting them to be displacedlaterally of said common plane, and means arranged to oscillate theleadingv body member at least about 90 about a vertical axis adjacentits leading edge, the resistance of said medium in which the propelleris immersed to such oscillation of said leading body member and ot thesucceeding body members so connected thereto by said pivot pins causingsaid row or" body members to form a curve as the row swings transverselyaway from said common plane.

(n A propeller comprising a plurality of elongated rigid body membersarranged in closely spaced, side by side, parallel relation to oneanother ina common plane to forma paddle-like body outlined at twoopposite edges by the ends of saidbody members and at two other opavertical axis, an elastomer body intersected by each of `said axes andoperatively connected to the companion pair of body members to providespring means yieldingly connecting said body members together andyieldingly maintaining them in parallel relation in a common plane butpermitting them to be displaced laterally of said common plane, andmeans arranged toloscillate the leading body member at least about abouta vertical axis adjacent its leading edge, the resistance of said mediumin which the propeller is immersed to such oscillation of said leadingbody member and of the succeeding body members so connected thereto bysaid pivot pins causing said row of body members to form a curve as therow swings transversely away from said common plane. References Cited inthe iile of this patent UNITED STATES 'PATENTS

6. A PROPELLER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED RIGID BODY MEMBERSARRANGED IN CLOSELY SPACED, SIDE BY SIDE, PARALLEL RELATION TO ONEANOTHER IN A COMMON PLANE TO FORM A PADDLE-LIKE BODY OUTLINED AT TWOOPPOSITE EDGES BY THE ENDS OF SAID BODY MEMBERS AND AT TWO OTHEROPPOSITE EDGES BY THE ENDMOST BODY MEMBERS OF SAID ROW, VERTICAL HINGEMEANS CONNECTING THE TRAILING END OF EACH BODY MEMBER TO THE LEADING ENDOF THE NEXT SUCCEEDING BODY MEMBER, EACH OF SAID HINGE MEANS WORKINGABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, AN ELASTOMER BODY INTERSECTED BY EACH OF SAIDAXES AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE COMPANION PAIR OF BODY MEMBERS TOPROVIDE SPRING MEANS YIELDINGLY CONNECTING SAID BODY MEMBERS TOGETHERAND YIELDINGLY MAINTAINING THEM IN PARALLEL RELATION IN A COMMON PLANEBUT PERMITTING THEM TO BE DISPLACED LATERALLY OF SAID COMMON PLANE, ANDMEANS ARRANGED TO OSCILLATE THE LEADING BODY MEMBER AT LEAST ABOUT 90*ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS ADJACENT ITS LEADING EDGE, THE RESISTANCE OF SAIDMEDIUM IN WHICH THE PROPELLER IS IMMERSED TO SUCH OSCILLATION OF SAIDLEADING BODY MEMBER AND OF THE SUCCEEDING BODY MEMBERS SO CONNECTEDTHERETO BY SAID PIVOT PINS CAUSING SAID ROW OF BODY MEMBERS TO FORM ACURVE AS THE ROW SWINGS TRANSVERSELY AWAY FROM SAID COMMON PLANE.